Loving "The Karate Kid"

"The Karate Kid" - the film from 1984, not the awful remake with Will Smith's kid from a few years back - was on cable TV on Thursday night. Again.

It has to be setting some record for most times on cable TV the past few months. It's incredible.

Yet, the movie never gets old. On a rewatchability scale, it's close to a 10, but why? I think I've got a few answers.

- Ralph Macchio (Daniel Larusso). There is no way the wimpy and scrawny East coast kid would steamroll his way through the All-Valley Karate Tournament (or whatever it was called), yet he did anyway. It had to be all that waxing on and waxing off.

- The song, "You're The Best Around." Easily one of the songs in a sports movie. Note: It was originally intended for the opening of "Rocky III." Love that.

- Mr. Miyagi (played by the late Pat Morita) is the man. Another note: He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

- Finally, there's Johny Lawrence, played by the one and only William Zabka. God bless William Zabka, who played some of the greatest dirtball yuppy characters of the 1980s. See "Back to School" and "Just One of the Guys."